Not A Bodyguard
by Rvlakia Kavair
Summary: Hatter works for some of the most influential men in the world - arguably THE most influential - and their associates. But hers is a solitary life led in the shadows and backstreets of the technologically advanced city they live in. That is, until someone who can turn everything she knows upside down is thrown straight at her. At times, quite literally. Ragegaming fic (technically)
1. Both Feet on the Ground

**Okay, I'm going to make this clear now: I don't know how serious I am about this story, so it probably won't be updated regularly _at all_. And don't expect some amazing plot to arrive either, because I honestly have no story plan for this as of yet. I just wanted to explore the characters and the world they live in.**

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**Both Feet on the Ground**

The first word that came to mind was 'skyscrapers'.

It wasn't unexpected. No one ever looked at the city and said 'that park is nice' or 'what a historic building'. No, the first thought would always be about skyscrapers, because that was all that there was; unholy towers encroaching on God's domain, glass panelled sides reflecting only the sibling buildings around it and sometimes the dark sky. A low frequency humming leaked from those containing the atmospheric convertors that were oh so important for humans to survive, echoing through the streets to even ground level, and thus to her ears.

She hated being down here in the filth with the scum of humanity going about their sordid business and the thick Mist swirling about her feet. Given the choice she would be upstairs with the honest people, maybe even at the very top with her legs dangling off the edge of the building. Her face twisted into a tired smile as she remembered the one time she had been allowed to do just that, courtesy of her esteemed employers. But even she couldn't deny that the ground was where she truly belonged, as much as she didn't want it to be so. The smile faded as she tugged the collar of her coat up to keep herself slightly warmer. It had rained not too long ago but the intermittent wind signalled that only a few hours remained before the next storm cycle was due to begin. It was time to get off of the streets.

She had wandered far from her current hideout and it would be just shy of seventy minutes before she reached it. She had plenty of time to think but she chose not to, for thinking led nowhere she hadn't already been. Maybe one day the prospects of doing so would be worthwhile, but currently she did not see herself doing anything different than what she did now, and doubted that her mind could be persuaded otherwise.

Heeled boots fell on concrete in a rhythmic pattern, the sound ringing out clearly but was soon muffled by the dense gases that pooled around her feet. Her peripherals alerted her to the presence of scum hiding past the corners, watching her yet not wanting to come near. Of course they wouldn't, for one glance at her and the aura she gave off told these people exactly who she was and what she did for a living. Not to mention she had taken care of many of them in the past and they knew enough to not forget her face. Well known in these parts and much feared, if not respected. Only idiots or drunkards would dare approach her here.

Suffice to say she was surprised then, when a figure came barrelling out from one of the side streets at full pelt toward her.

"Tch," she clicked as she prepared to toss aside whoever it was that thought it a good idea to attack _her_, of all people. Stance ready she began to move aside to dodge the straightforward offense, only at the last minute catching sight of a frightened young girl's face. A single moment of hesitation was all it took, then the two collided in a tumbling crash that elicited a cry of shock and pain from one of the girls.

"I'm sorry! Are you alright?" the perpetrator of the accident asked hurriedly as she realised what had just happened.

"Yes, fine," was the curt reply.

A man stepped out cautiously from the shadows of the alleyways, edging closer to the collapsed pair whilst his hands twitched nervously. "Look here, we don't want any trouble! But that girl belongs to us, mercenary! So just hand her over and we'll be on our way!"

"Oh, she's yours, is she?" The taller girl - the mercenary - got to her feet, dusting off her coat as she did so. She glared at the man who withered where he stood. "It doesn't seem like she enjoys your company much."

"But she-"

"Go! Crawl back into the holes you came from, animals!"

The man whimpered slightly and backed away, and action immediately copied by all other onlookers. Soon only the two girls were left in the junction between buildings.

"Are you hurt?" the mercenary asked coldly.

"I - I think my wrist is broken," the other girl replied. She gently tested her left hand and hissed in pain at the movement. "Yes, I believe it is so."

"That's some fancy grammar coming out of you," scoffed the taller. She bent at the knees to come closer to the stranger, examining her closely. This was no ordinary ground level child. In fact, it was very likely that she came from one of the upper levels judging by the high quality clothing that may have once looked very pretty had it not been torn and dirtied from being down in the muck for however long the girl had been there. This was maybe the foolish fancy of some naïve brat who thought that a trip downstairs would be an exciting adventure. It wasn't unheard of for children to go missing in this way; after all, the sheltered young were easy prey for the inhabitants of the lowest living.

The other possibility, whilst horrid and distasteful, yet far more probable, was that she was the victim of kidnapping. She would have to be from 50 at the very least to have been worthwhile, but not above 80 or else the man would have fought harder. The girl was relatively small for her age, which the mercenary now noted might actually be greater than she had originally thought. She had long dark hair tangled down her back and a fringe that might have looked cute had it been neat, but was currently a simple mess that only added to the bedraggled vibe.

"Look," the mercenary began, observing their surroundings to see if there were any men left there, "I'm staying not too far from here. Can you walk?" She eyed her sceptically.

"I can," the injured girl replied, the slightest hint of obstinacy lacing the edge of her voice. She stood, dusting off her clothes in a similar manner as her companion had earlier but with only her right hand, which she then held out to be shook. "You're a mercenary, right?"

"I am." She fingered the badge attached to her pocket which announced her profession, more from habit than worry.

"So I can hire you?"

"I'm not that kind of mercenary."

The girl frowned, lowering her hand. "I don't understand. Mercenaries get paid for anything they are asked to do, aren't they?"

"Sure are, but I meant I'm not the type to work two jobs at once. And seeing as I'm already hired, I can't help you."

"Oh. Well would you at least help me get back to my scraper?"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course. I'm not heartless. Even I won't leave some kid out here for the foxes to eat."

"That's a funny choice of animal. Isn't it normally wolves?"

"No, they're an entirely different set of people. But enough chatter. Let's get a move on." She strode off northward in the direction of her hideout. The other girl hurried to catch up, finding it somewhat difficult to keep up with her long strides.

"I don't think I ever introduced myself, did I?" she wondered, looking up at her companion. She held out her hand again, which was taken this time by the slightly reluctant taller girl. "Hello. My name is Kia."

"Hatter. I'm The Hatter."

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**So, whilst I have Kia and Hatter are in this story, _they are not us_. I now view them as characters, and to be honest they are fairly different from how we are anyways...**


	2. Code for 'Friend'

**I wrote another chapter because I felt like it. Sorry to anyone expecting the Crew, but they won't actually be in it for a fair while.**

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**Code for 'Friend'**

The girl's eyes widened and she stopped dead in her tracks.

"The Hatter? You're _the_ Hatter? The mysterious bodyguard to the four most powerful men in the country?" Her excitement was palpable and it threw Hatter off. This wasn't the normal reaction she received; nervous shaking she could handle, but an awed smile? It wasn't in her field of expertise.

"I wouldn't say they're the _most_ powerful men in the country..." _One is definitely more of a child than a man_, she added internally. "And I'm not a bodyguard either. Besides, it's not that big a deal."

"Not that big a– dear me." Kia sighed in pity akin to mocking. "You don't even know you're a celebrity do you? Well, more of a legend seeing as half the city refuses to believe you even exist." She frowned slightly. "I had thought you'd be male though... Maybe we should call you 'The Hatteress' from now on, then everyone will know you're a woman!"

She was getting too familiar for comfort. "We should move before any of those guys come back," Hatter said abruptly, halting the errant conversation in its tracks. She waited for the idea to register in the girl's mind, which luckily didn't take too long. Finally they began to walk again, much to the pleasure of the mercenary who would have very much liked to have been at her hideout already. She was silent as she walked, but was soon shifting uncomfortably beneath the fixated gaze she could feel on her back. "So why did they want you? Are you famous?" she asked to distract the girl but refusing to slow to her pace or turn to look at her.

"I'm not."

"Huh. Got connections then?"

"None of importance."

"Get on the wrong side of anyone recently?"

"Only my younger sister, but that is a regular occurrence."

"You must be special order then," Hatter said, the conclusion more for herself than her companion but loud enough for her to hear.

"What do you mean by that?" Kia asked as she added an erratic hop step into her previously rhythmic walking in order to draw alongside the taller girl.

"You've got a rare kind of ability, probably a biological adaptation, that someone out there wants for themself to study or keep from the world, so they hired those animals."

"The mercenaries?"

"Please tell me you are being deliberately dumb just to irritate me?" Hatter groaned, shocked by just how clueless her accidental charge was. She didn't reply, simply wearing a confused expression like she hadn't entirely understood the question. "Look, they were bounty hunters. An illegal type of mercenary, if you must, with no qualifications of any kind, that kidnap, ransom or kill people for reputation and money."

"What a detestable bunch," Kia said with a mildly exaggerated shiver of disgust. "So who was after me?"

"Hell if I know," Hatter shrugged. "Let's just get you back home and then you can get someone else to protect you." She halted and turned left down a narrow street, not seeing the slightly downcast face Kia wore, soon covered again by the mask of a smile.

Hatter stopped and faced the wall, waiting patiently for the technology to acknowledge her presence. A small blue light switched on and an almost unnoticeable scan took place, lasting under a second but managing to affirm who she was and check her vitals within that time. Finding nothing wrong, the light flickered off.

_**Welcome back, Hatter**_, a hidden speaker said, the familiar voice model filling her with a sense of comfort, but also unease at the computer alterations it had undergone. _**Who is behind you?**_ it continued, a less conspicuous amber light coming to life.

"A Hollower," she replied smoothly, the answer ingrained in her memory yet leaving a peculiar tingling in her mouth, having never needed to actually use this code before.

_**I'll open the door then.**_

"I'm a what?" Kia asked, unsure what had just transpired.

"A Hollower. It's the password for an invited guest." She stepped forward through the new opening in the wall, the corners of her mouth twitching up at the joke. She beckoned for her companion to follow her inside and Kia did so, jumping in surprise as the entrance slid shut after she'd passed. "If I'd said you were a Ragican then you'd be toast by now," Hatter continued, finding the wide-eyed expression on the girl's face hilarious. "A Flukasaur, you'd be added to the roster, but enough about that." She dragged a chair toward her and motioned for Kia to come closer. "Sit."

"That isn't a standard security system," she commented, obeying the order, her focus fixed on Hatter all the while.

"Nothing less than military grade for me. It's included in my payroll and everything." She headed to a set of shelves set into the wall, reaching up for a box on the top that Kia knew she would never be able to reach under her own power, unlike Hatter. There was a faint click as the box was opened and rustling as Hatter rummaged through the contents. She removed several items and narrowed her eyes as she read the packets. "What blood type are you?" She cast a questing glance at Kia.

"Uh... No idea."

"Generic painkillers it is then," Hatter said, replacing all but two of the packets back into the box before setting it on its shelf. The smaller packet was opened and proffered to the injured girl. "Take two. They'll not work as well, seeing as they're not specific to your body."

Kia did as she was instructed, swallowing the tiny pills with ease. Hatter immediately began binding her left wrist tightly with the bandage from the other packet as soon as the drugs kicked in; her patient twitched in discomfort occasionally, but that was the only sign that she had any feeling in the joint.

"Sorry about this," Hatter said as she worked. "I don't have any of the fancy stuff you get in a hospital, so this will have to do."

"Well you look like you know what you're doing."

"My mother used to work in medicine," she explained absent mindedly. "I picked up a few things here and there." Silence fell whilst she worked on making Kia's wrist as secure as possible, being careful not to make it any worse. She didn't want to be the one blamed if it never healed properly.

"This is a nice place you've got here," Kia said awkwardly, trying to restart the conversation.

"Is it?" Hatter wondered, glancing around briefly at the three room apartment. It was perfectly furnished, true, and well lit from the low ceiling by a gentle blue-tinted glow that would follow them around as they moved so that there was no need to manually switch on the lights anywhere. On the opposite side of the room there was a neat looking kitchen without any dated equipment, and in the wall closest to them there were shelves hosting various items. But upon closer examination there was nothing personal to be found, nothing of importance for sentimental reasons, only practical necessities. It was clear that whilst Hatter was sleeping here, she didn't _live_ here. "I wouldn't really say it's nice, as such."

She secured the end of the bandage before standing up properly. Kia looked at her swaddled wrist, taking note of the new addition to her outfit. She shoved the almost full packet of painkillers into her pocket so that they were on hand for when she needed them next and then returned her attention to her host.

"So are we leaving now?"

"Well..." Hatter looked away sheepishly. "I'm actually waiting for my Level Pass to be renewed."

"How long will that take?"

"A few days at most. You'll have to stay here until then I'm afraid."

"That's..." Kia hesitated for a second before meeting Hatter's eyes. "I will try not to bother you too much then."

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**Thus ends chapter two. Now, I need a team of bounty hunters so if you'd like then please volunteer (though be aware I may already have a role for you!)**


	3. Debatable Choice

**So apparently I need to write something here otherwise the formatting of the title looks hella weird.**

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**Debatable Choice**

"What are you doing?" Hatter asked as she returned from the bathroom to find Kia opening and closing all of the cupboards in the kitchen systematically as if she were taking inventory of everything there was to eat.

"Making a sandwich," she replied, opening the fridge again. "You certainly have a lot of food for someone on Ground Level."

"I don't normally live down here, you realise," Hatter frowned, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall.

"Maybe so, but you're here enough to have your own apartment." She shut the fridge and headed for specific cabinets to retrieve the items she wanted to eat, a knife and a wooden board.

"You can't be serious about that," Hatter said in disbelief as she saw the choice of fillings for the sandwich. Kia held up the knife in a matter-of-fact manner as she explained that she was 'addicted to set honey and couldn't eat the cheap runny stuff even if I wanted to'.

She swiftly sliced the bread roll in two and buttered it, whilst Hatter still looked on in scepticism. "Honey is one thing, but together with peanut butter? That's just not right." She turned slightly green at the prospect.

"You never know until you try it," Kia pointed out, adding the top half of the roll to the sandwich and transferring the whole thing to a plate.

"And you've tried it before?"

"Nope!" She grinned but her confidence didn't help Hatter's at all. "Do you want one too?"

The taller girl waved away the offer. "I'll stick with plain old jam, thank you." Not trusting Kia to make food without doing something strange with it, Hatter directed her out of the kitchen so that she could make her own sandwich; somehow she had been caught in the flow of making lunch, despite the fact that it was actually tea time. She joined Kia at the table, glad that she owned two chairs though there was never any guest to use the other before.

"This is actually really nice," Kia said, seemingly surprised that the strange invention had turned out well despite her implied faith in it earlier.

"I'll take your word for it," Hatter replied, then bit into her own roll which had a far more likeable taste, in her opinion.

"It comes with the Kia Stamp of Approval, so you'd better!" She grinned again before returning her attention to the roll. Hatter was happy to just eat in silence, curiously watching the enthused girl she had somehow ended up looking after. She was strange, to say the least, but not necessarily worse off for it. There was an air of adaptability about her, a trait that Hatter worked hard for but still found difficult in many ways. Being able to stay composed when things went wrong was something she struggled with, and always had, so maybe this chance encounter hadn't really been chance, but an opportunity for Hatter to learn to keep her heart together in one, sound piece.

And Heavens knew she needed that.

When they had finished eating Kia offered to wash the plates whilst her host sought out some spare blankets.

"I only have the one bed," she called from the next room as she deposited the covers there, "so I'll sleep on the floor."

"The famous bodyguard sleeping on her own floor? I won't hear of it!" Kia protested, drying her hands on a tea towel and padding over to the bedroom. "It's _your_ bed; _you_ sleep in it.

"I am not a bodyguard," Hatter grumbled under her breath as Kia began laying out the blankets in a place she deemed suitable, knowing from the look in her eyes that she'd never get the wilful girl to change her mind about the sleeping arrangements. The mercenary switched into nightclothes in the bathroom as Kia drew the plain coloured blankets over her body and wrapped them around, turning herself into a cocoon-like affair. When Hatter returned she raised an eyebrow at the sight but said nothing, instead heading straight to the bed and settling there, commanding the light to power down.

It was silent, save for the sound of the apartment's AtCon and gentle breathing. Hatter lay awake long after she assumed Kia had fallen into the clutches of sleep, sorting through the day's events in detail. There hadn't been much that happened before the girl showed up, only a smattering of glaring at hunters that had initially mistaken her for a lost or over adventurous scraper-dweller. Then there was the collision, and an injury, then the food... It didn't seem like much now, but those few things felt like they had filled the entire day.

_Who are you?_ she wondered, shifting onto her side and peering at the dark mass lying on the floor, its back facing her. It really hadn't been wise to bring her here, she realised, as she knew nothing about the girl. She could be a spy for someone working against Hatter's employers, or an assassin sent to remove an unwanted threat. That was what the mercenary would have immediately assumed under normal circumstances, but there was something about her… not something strange, or off, but a feeling that Hatter hadn't encountered before.

It didn't matter though, because in a few days they would be able to enter the buildings proper and the girl would be sent on her way, seeing as the world inside the skyscrapers was the one she was used to. Her idealism surely wouldn't be lost in such a short space of time.

"Hatter?" Kia whispered tentatively. "Are you awake?"

She briefly considered pretending to be asleep, then decided against. "Yes," she replied quietly.

"It's only a few days until your level pass is renewed, right?"

"That's right."

"Good." There was a long and deep sigh, then an almost inaudible murmur that Hatter could tell wasn't meant for her.

"_I want to go home_."

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The room was dark and it took a while for her eyes to adjust as she strode in, heading straight for the glowing screen next to the wall opposite the door that somehow contributed naught to the overall light level. She could see nothing on it but knew that streams of information and data and binary were constantly running across the plasmic surface, undecipherable by the human eye.

"Hacker!" she said loudly, determined to get his attention on the first try. A young man glanced up at the girl, sliding his goggles down to his neck and twisting in his chair as he recognised her.

"What is it Hallie?" he asked, not noticeably annoyed by the intrusion; but that didn't mean he approved.

"Boss has a job for you," she continued, seeing him sit a little bit straighter at the mention of their leader. "Here." She held out a USB capsule and he took it hesitantly, studying it.

"What is it?" he asked, not wanting to risk his system by installing something unknown.

"A new sample to tear to pieces. Now hurry up and get on with it."

The hacker's brow furrowed ever so slightly. "Don't take that tone with me. Remember, I don't have to do what you say. You're not the boss here."

"No," Hallie replied, "but I'm Second in Command."

"Probationary," he pointed out.

"_Currently_," she smirked, crossing her arms to prove a point. He sighed and waved at hand at her, as if shooing her away.

"Fine. Though why it was you…" he muttered the last part, trailing off as he stared at Hallie out of the corner of his eye.

"Why was it me," she finished for him, "and not _her_?" They simultaneously looked at the north wall and then away again, wary that the person on the other side might have had heard them. "Look, I don't know either," she whispered, not knowing whether his neighbour was in or not.

"She's the best field agent, so why wasn't she chosen?" he grumped, turning back to his screen and balancing the capsule on his open palm.

"If you've got a problem take it up when Boss gets back, whenever that might be." She turned on her heel and walked out, catching a glimpse as the door closed of the hacker throwing the capsule into the screen and replacing his goggles, the humming as they powered up a sound only she could hear.

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**I seem to have uploaded these first three in fairly quick succession.. wonder how long that will last... So, suddenly - more people! Who are they? What do they want? Who is this mysterious 'Boss'? Find out more, NEXT TIME ON okay I'll stop**

**The offer still stands if you want to volunteer to be in this story, though you probably will be a super duper characterised.**


	4. Departure

**Right I decided to finish this for Hatter's birthday, and I made it! (just) Everyone wish her well please, or else I'll hunt you down as you sleep.**

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**Departure**

Hatter woke to the smell of something cooking in the kitchen. This had become their routine over the past three days: Kia would make _sensible_ food in return for the hospitality whilst Hatter continued her patrols in the streets. She made sure to come back earlier than she normally would have though, to make sure the defenceless girl was safe and had survived the day alone.

Hatter stretched and sat up, reaching for the computer screen on the wall. She navigated through the system, checking that the apartment was still untouched by outside forces. Once she had done that she looked at her officially recorded details and smiled at what she saw.

"Morning Hatter!" Kia said as she heard her host walk into the room, turning to face the sound. She paused. "Are we going somewhere? You've dressed up."

She studied the new outfit. Two bandoleers crossed Hatter's chest, carrying capsules of... something. A layered skirt made from light, grey material was held in place by a studded belt lining the lower edge of a dark v-necked shirt that was made for practicality rather than appearance. Over all of this was the black trench coat that the mercenary always donned when she went out, and securely on her head was the top hat that was her namesake, but Kia had not yet seen before this moment.

"Well this is what I usually wear," Hatter replied, tugging awkwardly at the hem of her skirt. "I thought it fit to put on my work clothes, seeing as I'm going back to work in the scrapers." Her mouth twitched upward at the edges as Kia's face slowly registered her meaning.

"Your pass was renewed! Finally!"

"Woah, slow down," Hatter said, catching her before she ran off and indicating toward the stove. Kia shot her a sheepish grin as she rescued the food, switching off all of the equipment she'd been using and pulling out plates to serve with. With breakfast finally set on the table she sat, the pretence of calmness slightly too thin to hide the excitement.

"Here," Hatter said, sliding a pill across the table. "You'll want to eat that now so it will work when we leave."

"What is it? Another painkiller?" She picked it up, studying the yellow and green coating curiously.

"No. You're from pretty far up the scrapers so it'll be difficult for you to breathe down here, where the Mist is thicker. That," she pointed at the pill with her fork, "will help you. I won't go into details but basically your blood will bond better to whatever oxygen there is, rather than anything nasty."

Kia frowned. "I didn't need it before though."

"Adrenaline. Then you were here, where the AtCon is decent."

"Oh." She paused. "Yes, that makes sense."

She slipped it into her mouth, exhibiting again her ability to flawlessly swallow pills without a drink or other assistance. Hatter briefly wondered how much medication she had taken for her to be that used to it, or whether she simply wasn't bothered by the consumption of pills because of her personality.

They ate quickly, both eager to be on their way. Hatter put the plates away for cleaning as Kia retrieved her meagre belongings; namely, her painkillers and the worn out jumper she'd been wearing when they met. They convened at the entrance and it hissed open on command, the apartment's ceiling light fading away as they left.

_**How long will you be out, Hatter?**_ the security system asked.

"I don't know," she replied, not concerned at the vagueness of her answer because it was all that was required.

_**I'll commence Lockdown Protocol then.**_

"Yes." The exchange over, the apartment was sealed and all programs were halted, making it undetectable by any kind of radar. This was what Hatter ordered whenever she was going to be away for a long while, so that when she returned there was absolutely no chance that anyone had worked out where she stayed and was waiting to ambush her there.

"Which way?" Kia asked, waiting for her guide to take her home.

"North. There's a suitable entry point about half an hour from here." The look on the girl's face clearly said that she had no idea which way was north so, sighing, Hatter turned right and began walking.

She glanced behind at Kia, who was following intently like a young duckling, to make sure that she wasn't having any difficulties breathing. Though Hatter had given her the drug earlier she was still concerned. The Mist was far thicker than usual, which wasn't really a problem for her but it might have been for anyone not used to the density on the ground. The most of the Mist was far up in the atmosphere, pushed away by the convertors, but whatever slipped past gathered on the ground as a potentially deadly mix of sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and cadmium vapour, among others things, leftovers from the bygone era of fossil fuels. Apparently some of the gases used to kill a person upon inhalation but Hatter had never heard of someone from Ground Level ever die from the Mist. Scraper-dwellers on the other hand... Well, Kia seemed to be doing just fine.

"Hatter," she said in a quiet voice that was close to but not a whisper. "I think we're being followed."

The mercenary made no fuss, knowing that a noticeable reaction would make everything worse. She had been too focussed on Kia to have realised they weren't alone but now she was alert, noting the presence of at least ten other people nearby.

"Keep calm," she said, signalling for Kia to stop fidgeting in anxiousness. "If we are lucky they might not have any interest in us and will let us pass."

"And if we're unlucky?"

"They'll try to kill me and take you. 'Try' being the key word here."

"Comforting as that is," Kia commented as she glanced around discreetly, "I think we're the latter situation."

They stopped, both knowing that Kia's deduction was correct and that they were surrounded, a ring of enemies closing in on the pair. "Stay close," Hatter warned, not wanting to let the girl become more vulnerable than she already was. Figures began to be discernible in the thick whiteness and there were menacing swirls of Mist every time they took a step closer. Unlike in the movies, the area didn't suddenly become clear for the oncoming fight, though Hatter mused that such awfully convenient occurrences would help her to see just what she was up against. They didn't seem particularly dangerous, just of more thugs and lackeys that inhabited the lower levels. The quantity of them though, that would be a problem. It would be hard to keep track of them all and a civilian at the same time so one lapse in concentration would probably prove disastrous.

Deciding on the best course of action Hatter took Kia's hand in her own so as to keep check of where she was. "We're better off escaping," she said to answer the quizzical look she received from her charge, "so this will make it easier for you to run at the right time." Kia nodded and the mercenary started to study the circle of foes. Almost too helpfully, there was a larger gap in the ring than the standard directly ahead of them. It might have been a trap, but even so it was their best bet to get out of there.

Hatter wanted to take the chance before the gap vanished. She tightened her hand in signal and they both ran at full pelt toward the opening, Kia able to match the mercenary's speed and not lag behind despite her far shorter legs. Their concerns were realised as another thug appeared in the gap, arms open and ready to catch them. Knowing there was no turning back, Hatter muttered to her companion. "Punch him in the stomach," she instructed, hoping the combined power would bowl the man over. There was no time to discuss so Hatter flexed her left hand and let go, instantaneously forming a fist and letting it fly alongside an accompanying one from Kia.

Both hit firmly in the stomach and the air was thrown from the thug's lungs as he doubled over. Kia made to grin at Hatter but too soon, for the man didn't simply fall. Instead he grabbed the wrists he was bent over and there was a whirring noise, followed soon after by a _click_ imbued with finality.

"Gotcha!" he smirked before he was knocked aside by Hatter's other fist. Unable to stand both the stomach and head blows he crumpled in a heap that the two girls leapt over, taking no time to worry about what he'd done in favour of getting as far away as possible.

"They've stopped chasing," Hatter said after a several minutes of running and hiding in damaged sections of skyscraper bases. She listened out for any sound that contradicted what she had said and, upon hearing nothing, relaxed and turned to Kia.

"You can let go of my hand now," the girl suggested between heavy breaths. Hatter started slightly, having forgotten that she was still holding on after all the running.

"Right, sorry," she said moving to let go. A tug on her wrist forced her to look down and she froze. Kia, sensing that something was wrong, followed her gaze.

"Oh you have _got_ to be kidding me!"


	5. Friends in Shady Places

**Yeah I know it's been a while but don't say I didn't warn you.**

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**F****riends in Shady Places**

"Oh you have _got_ to be kidding me!" Kia's eyes were wide as she glared down at their wrists, solidly locked together by a set of handcuffs. At least, she assumed they were handcuffs, though she hadn't seen any like this before. They seemed to phase between opaque and transparent, but she quickly noted that they consisted of a pale blue frame in a simple ring format, covered by a fine netting-like substance with a gently fluctuating glow. The curious part of her reached out to touch the constraint, but a repelling force prevented her from actually making contact. "Well that's peculiar," she commented. "Hatter?" She looked to her companion, hoping that she had more information.

Hatter had never seen this before either, though she wasn't quite at loss as Kia was. "It's some kind of pseudo-virtual technology," she said.

"It's a pseuvi? I thought they were only used for transport."

"Yes," her brow furrowed, "so did I." Psuedo-virtual technology had been invented over a hundred years ago, when a lab accident had revealed that objects could be made from condensed data structures. Any product was always large, making the tech perfect for infrastructure purposes but not much else. Such a small pseuvi should have been impossible. Yet there it was. Sitting snug on their wrists, not loose and yet somehow not uncomfortable in the slightest.

"How do we get it off?" Kia asked, a worried tone in her voice.

"The lock is probably controlled remotely, and since we're not going back to those scum, we can't."

"But..." Kia looked like she was about to cry so Hatter quickly moved on with her explanation.

"But I think I know who made this, so we can go to him."

"Who?"

"You should know."

Kia looked at her confusedly for a little while and then her eyes widened and her jaw fell. "Oh... _Oh_."

"Good, you got it. Now, as awing as this pseuvi is, there's probably something else to this, so why don't we check out that panel on your cuff?" She indicated to the underside of Kia's wrist where the blue frame was replaced by a solid metal section about three centimetres wide, covering the computer that controlled the data structure.

"You have one too," she pointed out, indicating the matching area on Hatter's cuff.

"Yes; but yours has a button on it, and mine doesn't."

"True." She curiously thumbed the button, and once she got permission from Hatter via a glance and a nod, she pressed it. The small amount of tension on their wrists disappeared and for a second Kia thought, despite what Hatter had said, that the handcuffs had been unlocked. But they were still in place, albeit now separate. Between them ran a thin chain with an ethereal quality to it and unlike the cuffs themselves, as Kia found as she tried to hold the bond, hands would pass through it as though it didn't even exist.

"That sure is something," Hatter commented, peering at the chain. It was difficult to see because of its low opacity and she had no doubt that it would go entirely unseen, unless one was observant or knew what they were looking for.

"I wonder how long it is..." Kia mused as she moved her arm about, watching the chain extend and retract soundlessly.

"It probably isn't endless," Hatter replied, "but I don't care to test the length right now. We should get a move on." She glanced around to fully get her bearings, finding that they were actually not far from their destination.

She turned back to Kia and looked down at her, their eyes meeting. "Sorry Kia, it looks like you're going to have to stay with me for a few more days, until we can get these off."

The girl seemed downcast but still smiled. "It would appear so... At least my free hand is the one that works," she commented, waving quickly to emphasise her point.

* * *

It was easy to enter the building, to Kia's surprise. She - like most from the scrapers - was unaware that security checks started at around level 10, rather than 1, having never used those entrances before. The doors just slid open after minor encouragement in the form of Hatter's foot, and they were able simply walk into the somewhat dim space. It looked like a market floor made permanent, with more dubious looking shops than upstairs. Kia kept close to her guide, wary and constantly on the lookout.

She faltered slightly as they passed the elevator and Hatter didn't stop to use it. "Um... Shouldn't we be going up?" she asked nervously.

"I have to make a stop first." Hatter's head twisted so that she could see her. "Don't worry, this won't take too long." She beckoned for Kia to catch up and follow her into one of the shops. The interior was simple, consisting of a small square room with a counter cutting off the last third, and behind that was a closed door. Hatter headed straight over and leant on the counter with her left arm.

"Hey, Matt!" she called. "Get out here already!"

"Alright, alright!" The door opened and a man stepped through, pushing a pair of glasses onto his face. He made no attempt to fix his slightly unkempt hair as he approached, choosing instead to grin. "Hatter. You here for a top up?"

"Yep. I'm completely empty." She unbuckled her bandoleers and handed them over to Matt who was looking at her with an eyebrow raised.

"Seriously? How much management have you done? Or did you go picking the fights?"

She scowled at him but without any hostility. "I don't pick any fights. The scum are just getting rowdy, what with the appearance of the new faction. Speaking of," her face relaxed, "have you got any news?"

He had been looking over her equipment whilst she spoke and now glanced up, with his eyes only. "Nothing. I can tell you that they're not based in this area, or else they would have made contact already." He straightened up and lifted the bandoleers from the counter. "Right, I'm going to take these; you wait here." With nothing else to say he turned on his heel and exited, closing the door behind him.

Kia had been watching in silence but now spoke up. "Who was that?" she queried, moving closer to Hatter.

"That's Matt. He's a weapons merchant."

"And your informant?"

"Not exactly. He's a police officer, and therefore obligated to help to me."

"Oh." Kia glanced around at the questionable shop. "You wouldn't think it."

Hatter looked down at her. "That's kind of the point."

"Right."

They stood in awkward silence, waiting for Matt to return. It took a lot less time than Kia thought it would, and she jumped in surprise when the back door opened.

"Woah, calm down there rabbit," he chuckled.

"It's _Kia_," she huffed, embarrassed.

He smiled then turned back to Hatter. "Here you go." As he handed her possessions back his eyes flickered down to her wrist curiously. "What went wrong this time?" he asked, indicating at the constraint.

"Let's not talk about it. But basically, I'm stuck with her for a while." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder toward Kia before securing the bandoleers where they normally were.

"Why don't you just smash the chip and deactivate it?"

"Because I'd rather not have it explode!" She frowned. "Idiot. It's pseuvi."

"I know that," he replied quickly, holding his hands up in surrender. "I was just joking. Geez." He lowered his arms and laid them on the counter in a relaxed manner.

"Well, say hello to the Commissioner for me."

"I've got to visit someone else first."

"Right, reporting and all that." He waved the matter away. "A delayed greeting is better than none."

"Fine. Stay well, and do your job." He nodded as they turned to go, Kia following close behind. She cast one last glance at the undercover cop as she left, not returning his friendly smile.


	6. The First

**Yeah... of course I know the meaning of 'consistency'! Maybe...**

* * *

**The First**

Hatter studied Kia through the glass, watching as she made a call on the public phone across the street. The girl was smiling as she talked to her family and reassured them that she was fine. Hatter didn't know exactly what was being said, but it didn't seem like there would be too many problems when she returned Kia home.

Her attention was diverted briefly as a waitress set down a pot of tea on the table.

"Can I get you anything else?" she asked politely, but failing to mask her curious glances to Hatter's attire.

"No, thank you."

The waitress nodded and left, leaving Hatter to watch Kia once more. Rather, watch over her, as the chances that someone would try to snatch her again were high enough to warrant caution. Hatter doubted that the thugs who surrounded them at Ground Level were after herself, meaning their target was her defenceless charge who had no clue at all how interesting she was to... someone. Hatter would pass the case to one of her subordinates later.

Kia put the phone back and began to walk over to the café. The mercenary reclined in her seat, sipping hot tea, yet didn't relax. Level 25 looked pleasant enough but there was still the possibility they were followed by somewhat more reputable thugs, so she couldn't let her guard down. Not that she usually would anyway. She met Kia's eyes as she sat down on the chair opposite, grinning.

"I told them that I'm working with a friend and I'll be home soon," she said. "I tried to keep it a little vague, because I don't know how long we'll be like this for."

"It should only be a few days," Hatter replied as Kia poured her own cup of tea. "I've got to report first, but then we will go and have this taken off." She moved her right hand in indication, though it wasn't really necessary.

They sat silently for a while, reducing their cups to empty whilst watching ordinary people walk by the café. Having finished her drink Kia reached into her pocket and brought out the packet of painkillers, taking two and swallowing.

"Is your wrist hurting?" Hatter asked, concerned.

"Not much, but it was beginning to ache a little more than earlier."

"Let me see?" Hatter put her cup down and held out her hands, patiently waiting for the girl to respond. After a moment Kia proffered her injury. The mercenary removed the bandaging from under the pseuvi cuff, taking care not to jog any part of the arm. The wrist didn't look too bad but it was far from fully healed and the only reason Kia wasn't in pain was because of the meds. She gently lowered her hands so that Kia's was resting on the table and reached to her bandoleers, pulling out one of the capsules, feeling the gaze of her patient watching curiously. It was thin metal cylinder with a black band around the middle, and at the end was an indent with a cross marked in it. Hatter held it over her companion's cup and twisted the two ends of the capsule in different directions, causing it to unscrew. A clear green, viscous fluid trickled out; then when it was empty, Hatter returned it to its pocket.

"Drink it," she instructed, pushing the cup closer to Kia. "It will speed up the healing process." The girl picked it up obediently, grimacing at the bitter taste. She set the cup back down and shuffled the bandage on the table around.

"How are we going to get this back on?" she queried, running the cloth through her fingers.

"We might not need to," Hatter replied. "The cuff seems to be acting as a decent brace." She just had to make sure not to go far enough from Kia that the chain locked, because then the injury would get pulled into deterioration. She took the bandage from the table and tucked it into her coat pocket.

"Are we going?" the girl asked, getting up hesitantly until Hatter joined her in standing.

"Yes." They exited the jovial cafe, heading for a shadowed area at the back of an alley. Unlike the main ones, maintenance elevators were kept out of obvious sight to reduce the number of civilians trying to use them, not that anyone _did_ try. Hatter pressed the call button and didn't have to wait long, the carriage sliding into place quietly.

**Please identify yourself and your destination**, instructed a female voice.

"Hatter, Level 98," she replied smoothly. There was a brief pause as the AI signal was changed, the following voice now the same as the one at the apartment.

**Welcome back, Hatter. Who is behind you?**

"A Hollower."

**I'll open the door then.**

The elevator opened and they both stepped inside, Kia looking around as she did so. It felt a little strange using a facility that wasn't meant for the public but clearly they were allowed to be there if it recognised Hatter. She put her hand to the wall to steady herself as the carriage began to move; it was marginally faster than the normal ones, but she supposed that was only to be expected, as these lifts could potentially go to any level in the scraper and weren't limited to a range of ten.

They travelled in silence, Hatter mildly amused by her companion's inability to relinquish the wall. Soon though, the elevator stopped and there was a long pause before the doors reopened, in which time Kia returned to normal standing and anticipated what might be on the other side. They opened, and she stared.

It was a large room, sparsely furnished but still elegant, with expensive looking wall décor. The carpet wasn't overindulgent but certainly thick enough to muffle their footsteps as Kia was led out, still marvelling at the unusual surroundings. Several hallways ran from the room, and from one stepped a smartly suited man who headed straight for them, pulling his tie loose and running a hand through his blond hair to make it slightly dishevelled. He halted in front of Hatter and grinned.

"Well it's about time!"

* * *

Hallie's eyes opened in a flash as an alarm began ringing throughout their base. Rather, not so much an alarm as a ringtone, indicating that someone was accessing the direct communication line. She stood, not running but definitely going at a good pace toward the central area where several of the members were already waiting in front of a large screen. The calling number was displayed upon it but it wasn't one she recognised. Still, if this person was ringing them then surely they were… not trustworthy, as such, but 'in the know'.

When the communications operator saw Hallie she gave him a nod and he pressed a button to accept the call. She stood directly in front of the screen and was slightly disappointed when no image appeared.

"Yes?" she said, initiating the conversation.

"Hallie," came the acknowledgement, and she simultaneously relaxed and stood to attention.

"Boss," she replied, the familiar voice of their leader causing several people in the room to look up. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing, I just don't have access to visual messaging right now." There was a pause. "Everyone, leave the room." The order was followed immediately and with no complaint, leaving behind only a few members that knew they weren't the ones being addressed. "Hallie, is Jessi there?"

"Yes." She peered behind her to the hacker, who was hunched in the corner of the room. He looked up upon hearing his name, pulling down his goggles despite not being able to see their Boss anyway.

"Tell me about your findings."

"It's a security system," he replied immediately. "High-grade. I'd say military, but I haven't had any records of it so far."

"Did you crack it?"

He glanced away and frowned slightly. "No. It's airtight. I might be able to get in if I had a key from the origin," he suggested.

"And did you find out who that is?"

"I think you know already."

"I do, but humour me."

"Well there was an ID list attached to the program. I've decoded some of it already but not all. The first name there is…"

"Hollow."

He nodded, knowing full well that the action wouldn't be seen but would still be noted by the Boss somehow. "And…"

"'And' what? Who was there that I should know about?"

He glanced to Hallie who raised an eyebrow at his silence. Sighing, she stepped in. "It's the Hatter, of course."

They could almost see their Boss' reaction right then: tilted head, rolled eyes, half smile.

"Figures." There was another pause and Hallie's breathing caught, waiting for the orders she knew were coming. "Jessi, keep on with that sample. Hallie, is Cel there?"

She crossed her arms, not so much in irritation as for psychological security. "Not right now."

"When she gets back, put her on field, passive. I'm counting on you."

"Right." The call cut off immediately after she'd answered, meaning that the Boss had nothing left to say or was pressed for time. Hallie turned to Jessi. "Get those goggles on, hacker, and get to work." She strode out from the room as the rest of the members filed back in, and went in search of their top field agent rather than waiting for her to return, knowing that it could be a few days if she was left to her own devices.

They weren't going to let the Boss down.

* * *

**I _could_ have some witty comments here, but I'm lazy so: no.**


	7. Report

**So Hatter came back from the dead and made me want to add this new chapter.**

* * *

**Report**

Kia's eyes were wide in awe and her mouth opened and closed wordlessly. As if he only just realised she was there the blond man turned his head and studied her. "Who's this?" he asked, glancing back to Hatter.

"Kia," she replied. The girl in question finally shut her mouth for good but hadn't relaxed, nails biting into her palms. She had known, of course, but she had assumed they were going to have at least a few minutes before meeting Hatter's employer. Now there they were, standing before Fluke himself.

"You shouldn't bring strangers up here, silly bodyguard," he scolded and the response he got was narrowed eyes.

"I am not a bodyguard." Fluke smirked in a way that meant 'I know, but it's funny', causing Hatter to sigh in exasperation. "Sorry; I really didn't have much of a choice." She held up her wrist and it was her employer's turn to sigh.

"What did he do this time?" he asked, then held up a hand to halt the explanation. "You know what; let's take this away from the lobby. The board should have cleared out of my office by now." He indicated for the pair to follow him and headed back down the corridor he'd emerged from earlier. Kia trailed behind the two of them, dividing herself between feeling out of place and being curious about the doors they were passing. From one that was open came the familiar scent that she associated with large computing equipment, but when she tried to peer into the room a member of staff passed by and, frowning at her, shut the door without disguising his disdain of her at all.

Many more corridors branched from theirs, affirming Kia's suspicion that the entire floor belonged to Fluke; it wasn't surprising though, this was quite often the way with the uppermost Levels. If she remembered correctly, he also owned Level 99 and was in custody of 100, according to the articles that sometimes appeared in the public news. The place had an air of efficiency to it and the staff that they passed all seemed to have purpose in their movements, even if they each paused to greet Fluke politely. They were professional and clearly had graduated at the top of their class or close to, making Kia and Hatter stand out in their well-worn clothes.

Eventually they reached their destination and she breathed deeply in relief at not having to face the sceptical glances of the employees anymore. Fluke stopped in front of what was labelled as his office door and waited, reminding Kia of the way Hatter had done the same earlier, and for good reason.

**Welcome back, Fluke, Hatter. Who is behind you?**

"Well at least you haven't dropped _all_ protocol and registered her already," he quipped at a slightly irritated Hatter before saying, "a Hollower."

**I'll open the door then.**

"Man, I really wish he'd say something different for once," Fluke complained as he entered, hands sliding into his pockets.

**Idiot.**

"We know," Hatter replied, as though it were a completely natural exchange. Kia stared at the doorframe as she stepped through, previously having been unaware just how sophisticated this particular AI technology was. As soon as she was out of the way, the doors slid shut in silence.

Fluke walked past the glass conference table with indifference, straight to his more private office which was just as large as the meeting room. The far wall was made of glass too, and it didn't take Kia long to realise that it was the outer edge of the scraper itself, framing the dark sky pierced by even darker towers. At the upper edge the window was being encroached upon slightly by the base of the symbol that made this particular scraper a landmark. Barely any of the sign was visible here, but from every other building it was clearly recognisable that this was the home of the BBC, the largest media corporation in the world.

And Fluke stood there like it was nothing.

"Right, so what happened?" he asked, sitting in a comfortable looking chair and putting his feet up on his desk.

"Short story, I rescued Kia but then we got handcuffed together because _someone_ was an idiot and let his prototype get stolen."

"For a genius he sure does lack common sense sometimes."

"_All_ of the time," Hatter corrected.

"On the upside," Fluke continued, reaching for something in the desk drawer, "at least one of us keeps check of their products." There was a quiet clink of metal and when his hand retreated from the table top there now sat a small pair of silver earrings in the shape of songbirds. "An updated model that we issued while you were away."

Hatter reached for them soundlessly and replaced the plain earrings she was already wearing, handing the old pair to Fluke.

"What are those?" Kia asked as Hatter fiddled with the accessories, getting used to them.

"Twitter communicators," Fluke answered.

"But they're so small!" She mentally compared them to her own bracelet formed version (lost for good during her stay at Ground Level) that was most commonly used by the populace.

"These are more practical," Hatter replied simply, "and off-market."

"Ah, not for long!" He grinned again, amused by Hatter's expression that he could recognise as surprise only because he knew her so well. "We're putting limits on their current functions of course. Once we've collected everyone's back, we start production; Evanz assures me they'll be popular and for once I'm actually believing what he says."

"Well this _is_ part of his job though," Kia pointed out, then shrank in size as two pairs of analytical eyes fell upon her. She knew that Fluke had been monitoring her the entire meeting, piecing together an image of the type of person that had traipsed after his employee into the world's media capital.

Seeing Kia's discomfort, Hatter broke the momentary silence by saying, "And if he didn't know what he was doing by now I wouldn't agree to help him, ever."

"True." Fluke put the old earrings into the desk drawer, filling the empty space that previously belonged to the songbirds. The slight flick of his hand as it returned to sight told Hatter exactly what he wanted and she patted Kia lightly on the shoulder.

"Kia, step out for a moment. I've got to report and - no offense - you aren't allowed to hear this."

"Right, yes, of course, report," the girl replied awkwardly, taking a few seconds before she actually made to leave. She felt Hatter's hand slide from her shoulder as she moved out of reach, but also the steady gazes of two persons that one would never make enemies of, for both were truly perilous in their own ways. Without any more hesitation she was gone from the room, left with only the muffled, unintelligible sounds of speech heard through the wall when the door had hissed shut. She pulled out a chair from under the conference table and sat, soon producing a rhythmic tapping with her fingers that rang through the glass. Otherwise silent, Kia waited patiently for their conversation to end.

* * *

"That's all you found out?" Fluke queried.

"Unfortunately. Clearly they have some very experienced members if they can hide so well."

"And yet a month ago they slipped up and left traces..." Unlike when Kia had been present, his face was deadly serious as he pondered the situation. "It's almost as if they wanted us to find them."

"There's no 'almost' about it," Hatter replied surely. "They let us know they existed; they wanted us to search."

Fluke was on his feet, pacing slowly past the glass wall repetitiously. "So..." He stopped and looked out at the grey cityscape, hands secure in his pockets. "What we have is a new group with skilled members that appears briefly before  
immediately disappearing again, and we can't find anything on them - not even their name!"

"I'll keep searching whilst I return Kia," Hatter proposed.

"Yes," he turned to face her and stepped forward to his desk. "Eyes and ears open, and when you've gotten rid of that girl we're launching a full scale investigation. Maybe an outside perspective will get us somewhere." The last sentence was directed more at himself but Hatter picked up his meaning perfectly.

"_That_ full scale? We're involving the foreign teams?"

"We can't afford anything less." His eyes met hers. "These people are dangerous, Morgan. Too dangerous to leave be."

"I agree," Hatter concurred without hesitation, seemingly unfazed by the entire situation. It wouldn't be long though, she knew, before the neutrality faded away and her anxiety about the whole business would show. Never before had a group of bounty hunters evaded her for this long so, right now, even the highly advanced shackle humming with data on her wrist was the least of her worries.


	8. Hal

**Sorry to take away Fluke right after there was _finally_ a chapter with him, but this is a thing that happens.**

* * *

**'Hal'**

Hallie examined the list of serial numbers on the screen, each one representing a tracking chip belonging to a different member of their group. Usually only the Boss had access to this program, but since Hallie was in command she had been allowed to use it too. She found the number she was looking for and selected it, resulting in the building schematics appearing, a tiny blinking dot telling her exactly where to find Cel. There was a wave of relief when it was clear that they were in the same scraper at least, though it might still take some time to reach her.

Hallie switched the computer off and stepped back, turning on her heel and exiting the room at a brisk pace. She was headed for the main lift, ignoring any dirty glares she received from members that really had no idea why they disliked her, only that other people felt the same. It was a fact that she had grown used to in her tenure there, and she even took pleasure in knowing that not one malcontent could raise a hand against her for fear of the Boss' retribution. The only ones she might consider a threat were Cel and Jessi; but his apathy meant that he wouldn't do anything besides keeping her away from everything he owned as well as himself as much as possible. Ignoring her was also something he did often.

The elevator doors opened as she neared it and the people inside quickly moved out of their commander's way, resulting in her being alone in the carriage save one person who had braved travelling with her despite the fact that he was clearly wound taut just standing a metre away.

"Level 90," she said in a clear voice, purposefully intimidating the man by facing the doors but keeping her stare upon him. He shuffled and said nothing, and Hallie couldn't help but smirk as he focussed on the floor in order to avoid any further eye contact. The remainder of their journey was uneventful, with nobody else trying to use the elevator. The population density at the top was far less than her destination after all.

With a squeak of relief the man bolted through the doors as soon as they were open far enough to let him through, having reached Level 90. Hallie followed at a more conservative pace, aware that she was now on public property and attracting attention would do her no good. At the elevator port ten feet across from her one pair of doors slid open and, waiting for the few occupants to leave, she stepped inside.

"Level 80," she instructed clearly, letting out an audible sigh as the doors took forever to close. It was irritating to travel this way but at least the lift music was unique to each carriage and wouldn't drive her insane.

That and three more journeys found Hallie to her place, where she felt herself grimacing at some features yet simultaneously being incredibly invested in others that hummed enticingly with electronics. Exactly halfway up every scraper was situated the one floor entirely dedicated to entertainment and games along with the train stations, whose pseuvi tracks were the only public link between other buildings apart from Ground Level, resulting in a bustling atmosphere thick with the presence of people. The perfect place for someone to go unnoticed.

Bringing up a floor plan she had saved in her memory Hallie aligned it with what she was currently seeing, getting her bearings and mapping out where the buildings were situated on the blueprints. Continuing that she set off with purpose toward the southern side of the scraper to where Cel's tracker had been, all the while avoiding contact with people as much as was possible and ignoring the bright signs indicating which game stations and other establishments were where. Only when she neared her target did the commander pause and let the blueprints fade, raising an eyebrow at the teddy-themed cafe she was standing outside of. The door set off a gentle tinkling noise as she hesitantly opened it, alerting the attendant to her presence.

"Welcome!" she said cheerfully, skipping over to help. Hallie took a minute step back, unsure what to think about the European-styled maid outfit the attendant was wearing, let alone the fake bear ears perched on her head. "Are you here alone today?"

"Umm... No, my... friend... is here already. A girl, dark hair, around this height," she indicated about her shoulder level. "She looks to be in primary," Hallie added, though in reality she herself was the younger of the two.

The permanent smile on the maid's face widened as she noted the description. "Ah yes, she hired out one of the back rooms. This way." She led Hallie past the tables busy with customers drinking their tea; clearly they were all comfortable with the stuffed toys that lined the walls. "Obviously we wouldn't usually let such a young child hire a back room, but she's a regular here and a trustworthy girl, so we let her through when she assured us you were coming," the attendant said over her shoulder, not seeing the slight frown on Hallie's face.

"Did she now..." the commander muttered under her breath.

The attendant stopped and knocked on one of the doors at the back of the cafe, then opened and held it for Hallie, smiling as she passed. When the door shut outside noises were cut off, but she was more interested by the other occupant of the room than in noticing such a fact.

A large portion of the room was filled by an L-shaped sofa covered in plush toys, the floor equally swamped with the only exception being the area up to and around the low coffee table in front of the sofa. On it sat a pot of tea and two mugs, one full and the other partially drunken. The fresh scent of vanilla made Hallie crinkle her nose slightly, feeling that the smell didn't at all match the meeting about to occur. Sat on the sofa, legs crossed and entirely relaxed, was Cel, watching her closely.

"Hey, Hallie," she greeted whilst smiling, her cute voice and appearance belying the fearsome abilities behind the face. "Do you want tea?" The agent indicated to the full mug.

"No, thank you," she replied at length, fingers fiddling discreetly with the hem of her shirt. It was no use getting worked up now; if she were lucky this encounter would last no more than a few minutes.

"What's wrong?" Cel queried with her eyes locked intently, unnervingly, on her official superior. "Was Jessi mean again?"

Hallie grit her teeth, determined to not be undermined by the field agent. "No more so than usual. Thought there is an inordinate amount of hostility from him sometimes."

"Aww, he just doesn't understand you like I do, Hal."

"Please don't call me that." She wasn't adverse to the nickname, just wasn't comfortable with the person using it. Hallie stiffened further as she saw Cel's fingers playing absentmindedly with the pendant around her neck, the carved jade filling her with trepidation which was easy to pick up on.

"It's interesting, isn't it?" the petite girl commented, "How you can store data even in stone like this without damaging it. Don't worry." She let go of it and got to her feet, making no noise as she did so. "I'm not going to use it. That would _ruin_ you." She smiled peacefully.

"I just don't get why it needs to exist," Hallie explained, backing off slightly as if to ward the pendant away from her.

"Well don't ask me." The girl pushed in the nose of a bear near to her, laughing gently to herself as it regained its original appearance without assistance. "Boss likes fail safes. And if you were to get out of hand..." Her eyes gleamed dangerously for a second before she blinked, then they were back to their normal, cheerful façade. "Let's not think about that. I assume there's a job for me?"

Hallie hesitated, wondering how the topic had gotten so off track and then returned with little input from her. "You're to go on passive." She crossed her arms in a semblance of confidence. "I assume you were briefed by the Boss before all of this?"

"Uh-huh. _Follow_." The girl didn't elaborate, just stretched lethargically before walking to the exit. She stopped when she laid a hand on the door and glanced back at Hallie. "They could do with some slowing down, I think, which I'm sure you can take care of. Nice talking to you."

And with that she was gone, allowing Hallie to relax and collapse on the sofa in exhaustion caused by her ever-jangling nerves. She passed a hand over her eyes and sighed, wondering just how long this insecurity would last. But worrying was keeping her from more important tasks.

Had anybody been walking by the open door at that moment and happened to glance in, they would have stopped dead with their hearts frozen in fear upon seeing a girl with steeled blue eyes rising to her feet, a dangerous determination set in her shoulders.

It was time to delay the trains.

* * *

**I really need to stop with the super dramatic one-liners at the end of my chapters...**


End file.
